Healthy Holidays Guide

At Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity we believe only the best is good enough for our sick kids, and that’s why we’re asking our supporters to join us in thinking about the health implications of us handing out excessive quantities of sugary snacks to our sick kids during the festive period.

Children and young people treated at our hospital already receive lots of confectionery gifts for seasonal holidays from friends and family. Although these can be a treat in moderation, we know lots of families are trying to stick to a healthier diet. We want to help them do that, particularly given the range of health problems linked to excess calorie consumption, so we’ve decided that we are no longer able to distribute confectionery gifts to our patients.

There are lots of other ways you can help us to make a real difference to the children and young people in our care. Here are some other opportunities for you to support us this Christmas that will have a really positive impact on our children and their hospital experience:

Donate a gift/toy so we can ensure all the children who spend the festive period with us have presents to open throughout December and most importantly on Christmas morning!

Donate money online and your gift will be invested where the need is greatest within the hospital

We are so incredibly grateful for your support. Thanks to people like you we can make a real difference to all who use our hospital’s services, offering our exceptional young people only the best possible experience.

Thank you from all of us at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity x

Why we’re doing this

We look after a significant number of children and young people who can’t eat confectionery such as chocolate. This is either due to their medical condition (our metabolic disease patients), how confectionery affects their disease (our diabetic patients) or for patients who need good dental health to prevent infection (our heart surgery patients)

With advertising, marketing, and cheap sugar products, the food environment in the West Midlands makes it hard for children and young people to keep a healthy weight. One in 14 children are now classed as ‘severely obese’ in some parts of our region. In Birmingham alone, 4,000 children (25%) are overweight by the time they start reception class, rising to nearly 6,000 children (40%) by the time they reach Year 6 at school. The evidence is clear now that obesity can cause a number of physical and mental health problems, and we don’t want the hospital to be part of the problem.

Dental health is also a problem in our area. One in three children have tooth decay by age 12, meaning there are 10,000 damaged or missing teeth for this single year age group in Birmingham alone.

We’re not alone in doing this – other specialist children’s hospitals are taking the same approach to help improve the health and wellbeing of their patients.

Our Winter Ball is back after a year’s rest and we’re so excited to welcome our guests, new and returning.
The glamorous evening includes a champagne reception, live entertainment, fine food and a charity auction with money-can’t-buy prizes.

Your single or regular gift helps provide the best possible environment to support our young patients and their families. Ongoing contributions allow us to plan ahead for new projects, research or equipment to ensure we continue providing world-class care. Thank you.
If you wish to have your donation directed to a specific ward or appeal - then please state this in the 'Leave a comment with your donation' section below. We will ensure your donation reaches your desired location.

Most read

Your single or regular gift helps provide the best possible environment to support our young patients and their families. Ongoing contributions allow us to plan ahead for new projects, research or equipment to ensure we continue providing world-class care. Thank you.
If you wish to have your donation directed to a specific ward or appeal - then please state this in the 'Leave a comment with your donation' section below. We will ensure your donation reaches your desired location.

We often receive donations of toys and games for our patients, particularly around the festive seasons such as Christmas or Easter, and whilst we are incredibly grateful for these, we do have some guidelines around what we can or cannot accept.

Join us on this superb trekking adventure taking you deep into the biggest desert in the world, the Sahara. As you journey across the rolling dunes, following routes used for centuries by Bedouins and camel caravans, you will be captivated by your extraordinary surroundings.